She called Raoul to come quite close to her and they walked side by side along the zinc streets, in the leaden avenues; they looked at their twin shapes in the huge tanks, full of stagnant water, where, in the hot weather, the little boys of the ballet, a score or so, learn to swim and dive.

Indeed, modish Singapore-based label Raoul has based its current collection specifically on the Pan Am uniforms of the Sixties and Seventies: brisk blouses, A-line skirts and practical, across-the-body bags.

Recently, homegrown label Raoul joined the store's illustrious roster of brands, making its debut with leather bags from its Spring/Summer 2010 collection - a piece of news which was subsequently picked up by British Vogue's online portal.